Recycled Crafts

Creative DIY Projects That Turn Trash Into Treasure

Dirt-Cheap Dorm Room Furniture

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DIRT CHEAP (1)

Continuing with the theme of back to school, here’s a frugal — and green — idea for dorm room design: cardboard furniture. While you may not be able to craft Frank Gehry’s award-winning, high-design Wiggle Chair (retail $875, shown), I found a few sites that offer tutorials and ideas to get you started:

The most detailed tutorial I found was one from Andrew Senior. See both his finished photo and step-by-step tutorial.

A amazing collection of innovative cardboard furniture from designers around the world is at designboom.com.

flickr member Lostspyder shows us his recycled art project from his 3-D art class: flickr.com.

Looking for more ways to upcycle furniture? Check out these Upcycling Furniture Books we found on Amazon.

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Comments

  1. Like most high-design furniture, I am guessing that it’s NOT comfortable. 🙂

    If anyone decides to make their own cardboard furniture that turns out to be uncomfortable, fortunately they’re not out hundreds of dollars — just haul the furniture to the recycling bin!

Have you read?

Handmade with a Past: Tuesday’s Top Recycled Etsy Find

Let’s talk about a quiet little hero in the kitchen: the humble trivet. But not just any trivet — this set of 4 recycled plastic square trivets is a modern, minimalist dream made from 100% recycled household plastic. Yep, the same plastic that might’ve ended up in landfill is now protecting your benchtops in style. That’s a win.

I have to admit, I get a little thrill when practical things are also eco-friendly and just plain good-looking. These remind me of the ones I picked up at a zero-waste store in Melbourne — sleek, colorful, and almost too pretty to put a hot pot on. Almost.

Each one is handcrafted in small batches, with flecks of color that tell the story of what it used to be — lids, containers, maybe even your old shampoo bottle. It’s like modern terrazzo meets sustainable design. Perfect for gifting to a housewarming host or just treating your own kitchen to something that feels good and does good

Why we’re obsessed:

  • Made entirely from recycled household plastics

  • Each piece is uniquely speckled and full of character

  • A perfect match for eco-conscious kitchens, minimalist decor, and zero-waste living

Small item, big impact. And every time you set down your coffee pot or casserole dish, you’ll get that sweet little “I did something good today” feeling.